Summary Of The Child's Name By Julian Mccormick

What’s in a name? Julian McCormick started the introduction to his 1899 book, The Child’s Name: A Collection of Nearly Five Hundred Uncommon and Beautiful Names for Children; with an Introduction on the Tasteful Use of Christian Names, with this very question. McCormick believed that the question of what to name a child is “the first important question in the child’s public life” and, therefore, “the duty of naming a child should not be considered of lesser importance.” He believed having a bad name can cause a child embarrassment and be a hindrance if it is difficult to pronounce or spell, issues which will persist throughout that child’s life. McCormick feared parents were setting their children up for failure and humiliation if they gave them names such as Pizarro McGiniss or Bartholomew Sweeney; although these names belonged to “great men and great saints, [they] are not remarkable for felicity or beauty, and are rather an affliction than an honor to their bearers.” McCormick’s purpose in writing this book was simple: “to meet the popular and increasing demand on the part of parents and guardians for uncommon and beautiful names.” This increasing demand for new,

In this family there are four or five persons bearing the name of John, in honor of an ancestor. If the various Johns have middle names to distinguish them, it is fortunate; if they have none, what an inconvenience that they can be distinguished only by such epithets as Big and Little, Fat and Lean, Rich and Poor! This is a case of honoring an ancestor too much at the expense of his descendants.
But where were new, more unique names that would replace John to come from? New names had been appearing and gaining popularity throughout the nineteenth century, not just around 1899 when McCormick’s book was written. The problem was that McCormick did not approve of the origins of the names becoming